No matter how many miles you've travelled to get to The Napasai, as soon as you collapse into your enormous white bed, listening to nothing but the sound of lapping waves, rustling palms and humming cicadas, you'll know your journey has been worth it.

A few weeks after my own trip to The Napasai, the word that comes to mind when summing it up is serene. It is the perfect place for some serious R, R and R (if you feel like throwing in some romance to the old equation).

Unlike so many of Koh Samui's resorts, The Napasai is set in 17 acres of private tropical gardens and is blissfully free from irksome next door neighbours and their accompanying noise. Whichever room category you opt for, you're guaranteed unmarred views over Ban Tai beach and the Gulf of Thailand all the way to the horizon where Samui's sister islands, Koh Panghan (where the famous full moon parties take place) and Koh Tao rise up from the sea.

The resort is made up of Sea View Cottages, Beachfront Cottages, Garden Cottage Suites, Beachfront Cottage Suites and private villas, all of which are decorated in the traditional Thai style – like Jim Thompson's famous Bangkok house on a smaller scale – and dotted with clusters of fresh orchids. The cottages are spacious, quiet and comfortable, with private balconies where you can sit and soak up the incredible views. The bedrooms have both an enormous king-sized bed, and a Thai style day bed. The bathrooms come with big tubs, perfect for soaking in, and delicious Panpuri natural products that have been created especially for The Napasai (you'll want to fill your whole suitcase with them).

The real show stoppers at The Napasai though are its infinity pool, set just above the resort's private beach, and the beach itself, with those unbroken views across to Koh Pangnan and Koh Tao. The Napasai staff even equips you with a flag when you're relaxing on the beach so you don't have to stir yourself to fetch a drink – hoist the flag and they'll come to you. Sunbathing doesn't get much better than that. When we were there the little beach was so deserted it felt like a private slice of island paradise.

Despite our best efforts to try out the spa we couldn't get an appointment, which I suppose is a sign that the treatments are good. You can put the big tub in your room to use though and ask the spa to run you a special treatment bath to take the edge of jetlag or sunburn.

The in resort dining options are fairly standard. As we were only on Samui for two days we didn't have much time to explore other local options, although I can recommend Nikki Beach on Lipa Noi (approx. 20 minutes away from The Napasai) for fab sundowners and chic day-bed style dining.

The Napasai is one of those places that you don't want to leave, to the detriment of any Samui sightseeing plans you may have, but it guarantees you'll come away having indulged in low-key but luxurious R, R (and R) time.

The Napasai
65/10 Baan Tai, Maenam, Koh Samui, Surat Thani, 84330, Thailand; Tel: +66 (0)77 42 92 00; Fax: +66 (0)77 42 92 01; Email: info@napasai.com; Web: www.napasai.com.

Nikki Beach
96/3 Moo 2 Lipa Noi, Koh Samui, Surat Thani, 84140, Thailand; Tel: +66 (0)77 914 500; Web: www.nikkibeach.com/kohsamui.

All photos are ©Emma Torry except Seaview cottage at Napasai, which is ©Orient-Express Hotels.